Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice Federal Programs Section March 20, 2014 Fiscal Years 2013 2015 STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program State Implementation Plan
TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION. 4 A. Approval Date 4 B. Plan Period. 5 C. LCLE Mission Statement.. 5 D. Organization of Implementation Plan 5 E. STOP Allocation Process.. 5 II. PLANNING PROCESS A. Description 6 B. Planning Committee.. 7 C. Coordination Efforts 1. Family Violence Prevention Services Act and Public Health Service Act (Rape Prevention Act). 8 2. Victims of Crime Act. 11 D. Planning Activities 12 III. NEEDS AND CONTEXT A. Demographics and Geographical Information. 12 B. Underserved Populations. 13 C. Criminal Justice and Court Data... 15 IV. PLAN PRIORITIES AND APPROACHES A. Identified Goals 20 B. Priority Areas 1. Use of STOP Funds... 22 2. Types of Programs and Projects 22 3. Distribution of STOP Funds.. 24 4. Supporting Documentation 24 2 P a g e
5. Sexual Assault Set-A-Side. 25 6. Subgrant Listing. 26 C. Grant-Making Strategy 1. Parishes Currently Underserved 26 2. Allocation Strategy 29 3. Distribution Strategy.. 30 4. Request for Proposals 31 5. STOP Grant Cycle. 32 6. Subgrant Project Period. 33 7. Collaboration and Coordination. 33 D. Addressing Needs of Underserved Victims 1. Underserved Populations... 34 2. Culturally Specific Community Based Organizations... 35 3. Culturally Specific Services... 37 4. Underserved Populations Activities... 37 5. Culturally Specific 10% Allocation... 39 E. Subgrant Management, Monitoring, and Assessment. 41 V. CONCLUSION 43 3 P a g e
I. INTRODUCTION The (LCLE) is the state agency named by the Governor to administer the federal STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program funded through the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), Office of Justice Programs. STOP is an acronym for Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecution. The intent of the OVW STOP program is to reduce violence against women by developing and strengthening effective law enforcement and prosecution strategies used to combat violent crimes against women. Priority shall be given to women who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This program is applied to crimes against women ages 11 and older as specified by OVW. The LCLE is a fifty-five member body appointed by the Governor from all areas of criminal justice and law enforcement disciplines (LA R.S. 15:1202) and are subject to change with the election of each new Governor. The Commission Chair appoints the Victims Services Advisory Board and are subject to change with the Commission s election of a new chairperson. The Victims Services Advisory Board is responsible for overseeing the funding of grant applications under the STOP Program. The Advisory Board works with LCLE staff to provide recommendations to the Commission regarding all decisions concerning the best course of action to take when allocating and awarding STOP funds. The Commission makes the final decisions on all funding matters. Currently, there are fourteen members serving on the Victims Services Advisory Board. The members include the two statewide domestic violence and sexual assault coalition executive directors, representatives from law enforcement and prosecution agencies, the judiciary sector, a member of the Crime Victims Reparations Board (the State s VOCA Crime Victim Reparations Program), victim services programs, and a representative of the Family Violence Prevention/Intervention Program of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. All members of the Board are involved in the development of the Louisiana s STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program Implementation Plan. The LCLE STOP Program Manager is the State Administrator of the STOP Program. The Program Manager works closely with the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), the Commission, the Victim Services Advisory Board, the eight local law enforcement planning districts, the two state coalitions, and other interested entities in order to successfully accomplish this endeavor. A. Approval Date The LCLE STOP Program Manager provided the 2013-2015 STOP Implementation Plan to the Victims Services Advisory Board to review and provide any final recommendations. The Board unanimously agreed to recommend this Plan to the LCLE Commission on March 19, 2014. The Victims Services Advisory Chairman presented the Board s recommendation to the LCLE Commission for final approval on Thursday, March 20, 2014. The Commission unanimously approved the Plan. 4 P a g e
B. Plan Period The 2013-2015 STOP Implementation Plan will be used as a guide for the LCLE and all STOP recipient agencies during the fiscal year s funding period of approximately July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2016, which is the FY 2014 STOP Formula Grant Program award period. This Plan will support Louisiana s statewide efforts to revise, update, and strengthen existing law enforcement and prosecution strategies developed to combat violent crimes committed against women in Louisiana according to the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 and its twenty (20) STOP Formula Grant purpose areas. As future planning activities develop, this Plan will be updated and/or revised as needed. C. LCLE Mission Statement The LCLE intends to use STOP Program funds to fund new and continuation projects that focus on one or more of the twenty (20) program purpose areas, as set forth in the statutes of the STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program, supported by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) and authorized under Title 1 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, first enacted in the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA), then under the reauthorizations in 2000 and 2005, and lastly, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013). The existing and new initiatives as a result of current and future planning will hopefully reduce violent crimes against women through the use and implementation of effective law enforcement and prosecution strategies used to combat violent crimes against women who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. D. Organization of Implementation Plan The Implementation Plan Checklist provided by the Office on Violence Against Women was originally used to begin the creation of the 2013-2015 STOP Implementation Plan for Louisiana. However, after receipt of the STOP Formula Grants Program Implementation Plan Tool (IP Tool) distributed by ALSO STAAR on February 26, 2014, the Plan was transformed to incorporate the additional information in the new IP Tool Kit. This Plan, when approved by OVW, will be used as a foundation to guide key stakeholders from all disciplines in Louisiana to incorporate new methods to best serve victims, hold offenders accountable, and improve on those methods which are currently being implemented statewide. E. STOP Allocation Process Funding priority is given to law enforcement, prosecution, and court agencies, as well as, tribal governments and victim service providers whose services strive to reduce violence by developing and strengthening effective law enforcement and prosecution strategies created to combat crimes committed against women. Law enforcement and prosecution applicant agencies apply for STOP funding through one of the eight Local Law Enforcement Planning 5 P a g e
Districts or Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils. Non-profit, non-governmental agencies apply through their respective coalitions, the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault. Statewide programs, courts, tribal governments, and discretionary statewide programs apply directly to the LCLE. All recipients awarded with STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program funds must address at least one or more of the twenty purpose areas required under the Violence Against Women Act. Applicant agencies are required to specify which purpose area or areas their projects address. No single purpose is given priority by the Board or the Commission; each project is evaluated on its own merit. Additional information regarding the LCLE allocation process is provided in the Grant-Making Strategy Section of this Plan. II. PLANNING PROCESS A. Description The first method is a series of face-to-face meetings with the District Program Directors of the state s law enforcement planning districts, the Executive Directors of the state s domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, and the Victim Services Advisory Board members in garnering support from criminal justice agencies and victim service agencies throughout the state. The plan is to gather their expertise, input, and vision on existing services, creating new projects for new initiatives when gaps have been are found for needed victim services, advice on how to provide services to underserved, diverse, or culturally specific populations, collaboration efforts among the different types of agencies, as well as collecting ideas and conducting needs assessments or conducting surveys when necessary to prioritize STOP program objectives. Under Louisiana Statutes R.S. 15:1205 and R.S. 15:1206 (both added by Acts 1976, No. 592, 1), these planning districts/councils serve as local points of contact for agencies wishing to access STOP funds administered by the LCLE. They also perform functions similar to those prescribed to the Commission in planning, developing, coordinating, and administering criminal justice improvement programs within their respective districts. The map provided on Page 29 shows each district and the parishes they serve. Each planning district/council has their own local advisory board that oversees the distribution of funds and recommends the approval or disapproval of the allocation of STOP funds. These District Law Enforcement Planning Districts/Councils Boards are comprised of nonprofit victim service organizations, criminal justice, and law enforcement officials from the parishes in their respective Districts and are aware of unmet needs. Additional information regarding these Planning Districts/Councils is provided in Section IV.C.3 and 4 on Pages 28-31. The statewide coalitions, the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (LCADV) and the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault (LaFASA) represent most of the nonprofit, non-governmental victim services programs in the state. The LCADV is a statewide network of seventeen battered women s programs and shelters operated by the organizations and individuals who share the goal of ending domestic violence and other related crimes 6 P a g e
committed against women in Louisiana. LaFASA is a statewide network of thirteen sexual assault centers in fourteen locations operated by the organizations and individuals who share the goal of providing services to women who have become victims of sexual abuse and sexual assault. The second method comes from the guidance of the Victim Services Advisory Board and the Commission who provides input into the plan, give strategy guidance, protocol and policy direction relative to preventing, identifying, and responding to the needs of women who have been victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other violent crimes. Currently, there are fourteen members serving on the Victim Services Advisory Board. The members include the two statewide coalition executive directors, representatives from law enforcement and prosecution agencies, the judiciary sector, a member of the Crime Victims Reparations Board (the State s VOCA Crime Victim Reparations Program), victim services programs, and a representative of the Family Violence Prevention/Intervention Program of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. All members of the Board are involved in the development of the Louisiana s STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program Implementation Plan. B. Planning Committee The planning of the LCLE 2013-2015 STOP Formula Grant Implementation Plan for Louisiana began as a small meeting between Rutha Chatwood, LCLE STOP Program Manager, Beth Meeks, Executive Director, and Kim Clement, Program Development Coordinator of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (LCADV), and Vonnie Hawkins, Interim Executive Director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault (LaFASA) on 06/26/2013. Topics discussed were to develop a timeline for the 2014 STOP Implementation Plan and the need to develop a Needs Assessment Survey by possibly creating a sub-committee comprised of representatives from law enforcement, prosecution and court agencies, the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (LA DCFS), and the two Coalitions, and search for a person to collate, review, and analyze the survey information once it would be collected. A second meeting was held 07/23/2013. In attendance were Rutha Chatwood, LCLE STOP Program Manager, Tracy Dahmer Farris, Louisiana Department of Justice, Office of Attorney General, Audrey Thibodeaux, Elderly Victims of Crime Director, with the 16 th Judicial District Attorney s Office, Ramona Harris, Director of the Louisiana Protective Order Registry of the Louisiana Supreme Court, Captain Karla Beck, Director of Police Social Services at the Lafourche Parish Sheriff s Office, Cordelia Heaney, Executive Director of Office on Women s Policy with LA DCFS, Beth Meeks, Executive Director, and Kim Clement, Program Development Coordinator, of LCADV, and Vonnie Hawkins, Interim Executive Director, of LaFASA. 7 P a g e
Various topics were discussed, such as which agencies could be considered as recipients of the ten percent of the thirty percent allocated for victim services programs, such as Native Americans, Laotian, African-American, Latino, Hispanic, Vietnamese, LGBTQ, and other culturally specific populations in our state. The group discussed the need to conduct a lethality assessment, underserved populations, T-Visas and U-Visas, trafficking, how to better coordinate community responses, to look at the types of trainings offered to law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and victim services staff persons providing services, and to gauge the number of programs offering services to sexual assault victims to ensure LCLE s STOP Program is meeting the new 20% Sexual Assault Set-aside STOP requirement. C. Coordination Efforts 1. Family Violence Prevention Services Act and Public Health Service Act (Rape Prevention Act) On 07/18/2013, a letter from the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (LA DCFS) was sent to various agencies, including LCLE, announcing the collaboration with stakeholders based on the two bills introduced during the 2013 Legislative Session. Senate Resolution 95 by Senator Walsworth and House Resolution 76 by Representative Schroder requested that the LA DCFS collaborate with stakeholders to study and develop a comprehensive statewide plan for the delivery of domestic violence services and to report its recommendations to the House and Senate Committees on Health and Welfare on or before 01/15/2014. In constructing a comprehensive statewide plan for the delivery of domestic violence services, the study group was charged with including four of the following directives: Development of a state needs assessment and a comprehensive and integrated service delivery approach that meets the needs of all domestic violence victims. Establishment of a method to transition domestic violence service providers towards evidence-based national best practices focusing on outreach and prevention. Development of a plan that ensures that Louisiana laws on domestic violence are being properly implemented and provides for training on domestic violence and its many dimensions to law enforcement and the judiciary. Development of a framework to collect and integrate data and measure program outcomes. The participants in the Domestic Violence Study Group Project were: Judy Bell, Domestic Violence Program Director; Judge Pamela J. Baker, Louisiana Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges; Gwendolyn Brooks, Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services; Rutha Chatwood, Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement; Tommy Clark, Louisiana Association. of Chiefs of Police; Tracy Dahmer Farris, Louisiana Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General; Melanie Fields, 8 P a g e
Louisiana District Attorneys Association; Ramona Harris, Louisiana Supreme Court, Judicial Administrator s Office; Vonnie Hawkins, Interim Executive Director, Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault; Cordelia Heaney, Louisiana Women s Policy & Research Commission and Study Group Facilitator; Judge Patricia Koch, Louisiana District Judges Association; Kim Matherne, Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services; Beth Meeks, Executive Director, Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Richard Pittman, Louisiana Public Defender Board; Sheriff James Pohlmann, Louisiana Sheriffs Association; Trashica Robinson, Domestic Violence Survivor; Ebony Tucker, Executive Director, Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault; Karen Webb, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals; Carmen Weisner, Louisiana Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers; and Judge Paul Young, Louisiana Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges. The study group formed work groups to examine different components of the study group directives: a Needs Assessment & Data Collection Work Group, a Law Enforcement/Judicial Training and Law Implementation Work Group, and an Evaluation System work group. These work groups conducted seven telephone conference calls and five meetings, including two day-long meetings, where the work groups findings were reviewed, presentations on national best practices currently being implemented in parts of Louisiana and the differences between various regional plans and regional funding were discussed, and five different states implementation plans were reviewed, before initial recommendations were drafted. The general findings of the study group was an excellent first step in constructing a strong statewide plan for coordination among the many agencies that provide services to domestic violence survivors and their families in Louisiana and working together would further strengthen its statewide Coordinated Community Response to domestic violence. LA DCFS will administer about $6.6 million in domestic violence funds in the coming year. This is a combination of both federal and state funds: $1,371,388 in Family Violence Prevention and Services Program (FVPSA) federal funds, $2,350,000 in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) federal funds, as well as $2.4 million in state general funds, approximately $425,000 annually from marriage license fees and approximately $92,000 annually in civil fees collected by twenty-three participating parishes. The LA DCFS funds are administered in coordination with the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (LCADV). Programs are assessed using the Committee on Quality Assurance (COQA) system. The COQA Committee is made up of five peers (Executive Directors from state domestic violence service programs), a LA DCFS staff person, and an LCADV staff person. The programs receive a score calculated through four different types of submissions: a provider self-study, provider documents submitted to COQA, a site visit, and contract performance and reporting. Site visits are conducted by a group made up of one LA DCFS staff person, one LCADV staff person, and one peer. Domestic violence service providers who receive grants from LA DCFS are required to secure matching funds of twenty percent of the grantee s contract amount. Such matching funds may be in the form of cash, certified expenditures or in kind 9 P a g e
contributions. Matching funds must be derived from unduplicated sources other than the program or other federal funding and be provided after the date of the grant award to the recipient. Funds used to match a previous LA DCFS, federal or other grant award may not be used to match a subsequent grant. The LCLE will administer about $1,371,363 in Fiscal Year 2013 for domestic violence programs. These funds are federal derived from two funding streams: $1,086,957 in Victims of Crime Act, Victim Assistance Program under the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Program (OJP) funds and $284,406 in Violence Against Women Act s STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program under the Violence Against Women Program Office, Office of Justice Program (OJP) funds. VOCA funds primary purpose is to support the provision of services to victims of crime, and requires programs to provide direct services to victims, while VAWA STOP funds primary purpose is the reduction of violence by developing and strengthening effective law enforcement and prosecution strategies to combat crimes against women. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (LA DHH) Office of Public Health will administer $682,519 in sexual assault-focused funds in the coming year. They fund fourteen sexual assault centers, five of which are dual sexual assault/domestic violence programs. They administer two federal funds: $109,436 in Preventive Health Block (PHB) funds ($25,055 of which goes to dual domestic violence/sexual assault service providers), and $493,083 in Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) funds ($97,568 of which goes to dual domestic violence/sexual assault service providers). In addition, they manage $80,000 in state supplemental funds, which are used to cover state administrative expenses. PHB funds are evenly distributed among the state s fourteen sexual assault centers. RPE funds are administered by LaFASA, using a new SAC Score points system. Five factors are designated to determine points, and include compliance with standards, size of population served, size of geographic area, number of direct service contacts (victim services) and number of contacts in prevention work. The majority of domestic violence funds administered in the state are federal funds, and federal grants require that state administrators provide an assurance that there will be an equitable distribution of grants and grant funds within the state and between urban and rural areas within such state. Funding issues identified by the domestic violence study group include that funding amounts have not been calculated based on a universal scoring system used by the three main funding agencies; programs are held to different assessment standards by each funder; and some funders provide funds to domestic violence programs that other funders have elected not to, perhaps missing an opportunity to best leverage all available funds. Additional work can be done to collectively create funding synergies between the funds administered by LA DCFS, LCLE and LA DHH, as well as to help identify additional funding sources (e.g., grants, public-private partnerships) for domestic violence service providers in our state, in order to better serve survivors in all areas of Louisiana. The last meeting of the Study Group was held 01/03/2014, in which all in attendance agreed the Domestic Violence Study Group Report was ready to be 10 P a g e
submitted to the Legislature by the due date of 01/15/2014. Collaborative meetings are currently ongoing between the TANF Unit Program Manager and the Domestic Violence Program Coordinator of the LA DCFS and the LCLE STOP and VOCA Program Managers. It is hoped during the next planning year, our collaboration efforts will ensure the victim services agencies funded by both LA DCFS and LCLE (STOP and VOCA) are not duplicating services and operating costs; consider new approaches victim service agencies can use to streamline the services they provide to victims in each of their respective areas. 2. Victims of Crime Act The primary purpose of VOCA funding is to support the provision of direct services to victims of crime. Funding priority is given to public or private (or a combination of both) agencies that provide direct services to victims of sexual assault, spouse and child abuse, and underserved populations. The staff at each of the Districts or Councils and the LCLE VOCA Program Manager provide direct assistance to subgrant agencies and work diligently to ensure that these agencies utilize the funds to meet the intended goals and objectives of the VOCA Formula Grant Program, have a full understanding of reporting requirements, maintain statistics and fiscal records, and submit the required reports to LCLE as scheduled. The does not provide state or local funding to criminal justice agencies and victims services programs designated solely to provide services to victims. However, the LCLE does award federal monies from the Office for Victims of Crime, Crime Victim Assistance Formula Grant Program to many of the agencies currently receiving STOP Formula Grant Program funding. Additional services are available to all victims of crime provided through the LCLE, such as the Crime Victim Reparations (CVR) and the Louisiana Automated Victim Notification System (LAVNS). The LCLE coordinates with each subgrant agency asking for the name and contact information of the individual of the applicant agency who is charged with the responsibility of assisting victims in regard to accessing and using the LAVNS system as well as responsible for assisting victims in applying for services available through the CVR Program. Awards available directly to sexual assault victims through the Office for Victims of Crime, Crime Victim Reparations (CVR) helps innocent victims and their families when they have no other means of paying for the financial cost of crime outside the services provided by the sexual assault centers. The fund is administered by the Crime Victims Reparations Board under the jurisdiction of the LCLE. The LAVNS Program is an on-line resource that allows victims to search for information regarding an offender's current custody and case status. Victims may also register to be notified automatically when an offender is released, transferred, or escapes from a Parish facility or has a change in case status. The LAVNS service is provided to victims in an effort to help keep them safe and informed; however, victims are also advised to not depend solely on LAVNS for their protection. Victims are also advised if 11 P a g e
they feel they may be at risk, to take precautions as if the offender has already been released, which is encouraged to be part of a victim s safety plan The LCLE VOCA Program Manager and STOP Program Manager work closely together in the Federal Programs Section of the LCLE. The agencies funded by VOCA and STOP are continually monitored to ensure there is no duplication in services and operating costs, provide technical assistance as needed, and help the agencies better coordinate their community responses to victims. Both the VOCA Program Manager and the STOP Program Manager are and will continue to be a part of the STOP Implementation Plan s planning process. D. Planning Activities During the next year, the LCLE STOP Program Manager will continue to meet with the LCLE VOCA Program Manager, LA DCFS, the Coalitions, District Directors, the members of the Victim Services Advisory Board, and all subgrant recipients (law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and victim service providers) currently receiving STOP funds to allow each and every person to have an opportunity to discuss their concerns and/or issues impacting their areas of expertise and the populations they represent. The future schedule for these meetings is not known at the time of the writing of this Plan. III. NEEDS AND CONTEXT A. Demographics and Geographical Information Louisiana is located in the southern region of the United States of America and is the only state in the United States with sixty-four political subdivisions termed as parishes, which are equivalent to counties in all other states. Louisiana s total population was reported in the 2010 Census report as totaling 4,533,372, which resulted in a ranking order of Louisiana as twenty-two in the United States. Louisiana encompasses a total of 43,203.90 square miles. When comparing the number of persons per square mile in Louisiana to that of other states, Louisiana has 104.9 persons per square mile versus the national average of 87.4 per square mile. There were major shifts in populated areas during the past ten years after the devastations resulting from the two hurricanes in 2005 (Katrina and Rita), two hurricanes in 2008 (Gustav and Ike), and the 2010 British Petroleum oil spill that nearly devastated the entire Louisiana coastline. The largest parish by population is East Baton Rouge Parish with a population of 440,178 or an average of 966.6 people per square mile throughout the parish. Baton Rouge is the capitol of Louisiana with a population of 229,493 or 2,982.5 people per square mile. The largest parish by land area in square miles (169.42) is Cameron Parish, which has a population of 5.3 people per square mile. 12 P a g e
The largest city in the state is the City of New Orleans, which is a major United States port and the state s largest metropolitan area. Its population totals 343,829, classifying it as the largest city according to the 2010 U.S. Census. The New Orleans-Kenner-Metairie Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing eight parishes with a combined population of 1,235,650 in 2010, makes it the forty-fifth largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States. The New Orleans-Metairie-Hammond combined statistical area, which is larger trading area than the New Orleans Metropolitan area encompasses ten parishes and boasts a population of 1,453,502. Each parish is listed below by population per square mile largest to smallest populations in each parish throughout the state as reported in the 2010 Census report. Breakdowns of population demographics by parish with population totals are as follows: Major metropolitan areas in Louisiana in order of population density are located in the Parishes of East Baton Rouge (440,178), Jefferson (432,552), Orleans (343,829), Caddo (254,969), St. Tammany (233,740) and Lafayette (221,578). These six parishes consist of approximately 9.4% of the sixty-four parishes but have a total population of 1,926,846 people, or 42.5% of Louisiana s total state population. The parishes listed in order of population density of 100,000 people or more are Calcasieu (192,768), Ouachita (153,720), Rapides (131,613), Livingston (128,026), Tangipahoa (121,097), Bossier (116,979), Terrebonne (111,860), and Ascension (107,215). These eight parishes are 12.5% of the sixty-four parishes with a total population of 1,063,278 or 23.4% of the total state population. Lafourche (96,318), St. Landry (83,384), Iberia (73,240), Acadia (61,773), Vermilion (57,999), St. Mary (54,650), Vernon (52,334), St. Martin (52,160), St. Charles (52,780), Washington (47,168), Lincoln (46,735), St. John the Baptist (45,924), Webster (41,207) are thirteen parishes with population densities ranging from 41,207 to just under 100,000. These parishes make up 20.3% of the sixty-four parishes listing a total population of 765,672 or 16.9% of the total state population. The next group of eighteen parishes in ranking order has populations of 40,000 or less people in each Parish totaling 28.1% of the sixty-four parishes. The Parishes are Natchitoches (39,566), St. Bernard (35,897), Beauregard (35,654), Iberville (33,387), Jefferson Davis (31,594), Morehouse (27,979), DeSoto (26,656), West Baton Rouge (23,788), Assumption (23,421), Plaquemines (23,042), Pointe Coupee (22,802), Union (22,721), Grant (22,309), East Feliciana (20,267), Jackson (16,274), West Feliciana (15,625), St. Helena (11,203), and Cameron (6,839). These eighteen parishes list populations totaling 439,024 or 9.7% of the total state population. B. Underserved Populations The last nineteen parishes make up 29.7% of the 64 parishes and are considered rural or underserved parishes. Each parish list population totals of 5,252 to 42,073 people living in 13 P a g e
these parishes totaling 338,559 or 7.5% of the total state population. These parishes are Avoyelles (42,073), Evangeline (33,984), Allen (25,764), Sabine (24,233), St. James (22,102), Franklin (20,767), Richland (20,725), Concordia (20,822), Claiborne (17,195), Winn (15,313), LaSalle (14,890), Bienville (14,353), Madison (12,093), West Carroll (11,604), Catahoula (10,407), Caldwell (10,132), Red River (9,091), East Carroll (7,759), and Tensas (5,252) Parishes. Of the total population of 338,559 living in these rural parishes, an average of approximately 166,386 or 49.14% is women. Future planning for the State s Implementation Plan will attempt to help identify and anticipate the needs of victims in the underserved, rural areas to ensure no victim goes without access to needed services. Many victims/survivors living in these areas are need of legal services, counseling, medical services, advocacy/support, empowerment, education and safety planning and many other services to enable them to begin to lead lives without fear of abuse or further assault. Many victims would go unserved without the help of the domestic violence programs, sexual assault centers, and law enforcement agencies. One major problem victims/survivors face in these rural parishes is obtaining transportation to and from service providers and community resources because there is no public or commercial transportation. Victim service providers are often tasked with either providing transportation for the victim in their personal vehicles or the victim services provider must pay an agency, such as the Council on Aging or a taxi service, to provide transportation for the victim. The Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (LCADV) works with member programs to ensure underserved populations have access to program services. Louisiana has a higher rate of African Americans reporting domestic violence. The LCADV member programs offer technical assistance and training to culturally specific organizations that target African American victims of domestic violence. The LCADV and member programs also provide training and technical assistance to the LGPTQ, Hispanic and Vietnamese communities. Louisiana has a very large Native American population that occasionally present for services. The coalition is currently working with member programs to assist Native American Tribes to secure STOP funding. Some of these member programs include: 1. Faith House in Lafayette 2. Chez Hope, Inc. in Franklin 3. Oasis A Safe Haven for Survivors in Lake Charles 4. Metropolitan Center for Women & Children in Jefferson The extent of serving the underserved communities throughout the state is being done through each sexual assault center under the guidance of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault (LaFASA). The sexual assault centers meet with local multi-jurisdictional task forces of individuals from traditionally underserved groups in their respective service areas to ensure that each center s services, including outreach services, are relevant, appropriate, and accessible to all victims. Feedback from these meetings is communicated to the LaFASA staff on a quarterly basis. In addition, LaFASA is involved in several projects 14 P a g e
specifically addressing services for underserved groups, including D/deaf sexual assault survivors, victims with disabilities, and people who are homeless. LaFASA s Board of Directors includes both Sexual Assault Center representatives and other members of the statewide community, for both their expertise in agency governance as well as their input into sexual assault services in the state from their personal and professional perspectives. LaFASA s Board of Directors now includes or has included people with disabilities, bilingual/bicultural sexual assault survivors, women and men of color, male survivors of childhood sexual assault, members of the LGBTQ community, leaders of faith communities, staff of programs serving people with HIV/AIDS, and sexual assault survivors in recovery from substance abuse. Through the ongoing input of these individuals to LaFASA, this application was informed by the needs of and barriers in reaching traditionally underserved groups. Similarly, through the community-level task forces coordinated by the sexual assault centers and LaFASA s Board of Directors, the sexual assault centers and the coalition receive input and make necessary adjustments on a continuing basis to ensure that sexual assault services remain relevant, appropriate, and accessible to underserved populations, as specified above. LCLE had communications via telephone calls and emails on a daily basis; twenty conference calls from June 13, 2013, through February 6, 2014; forty-four face-to-face meetings with many people throughout the state involved in Louisiana s efforts to improve services provided to sexual assault victims, including the prior Interim Director and the newly appointed Executive Director at LaFASA, the Executive Director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (LCADV), the LCLE Victim Services Advisory Board members, the Directors of the sexual assault centers and some of their staff members, staff personnel and representatives from various state offices and other organizations involved in the provision of services to victims statewide (i.e., Louisiana Women s Policy and Research Commission, Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police, Louisiana District Attorneys Association, Louisiana Sheriffs Association, Louisiana Protective Order Registry Director of the Supreme Court Judicial Administrator s Office, Louisiana Department of Justice, Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals, Louisiana Public Defender Board, District Judges Association, Louisiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, etc.), the Association of VAWA Administrators (AVA) staff, and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) staff. Telephone calls, conference calls, emails, letters, and meetings were a useful means to discuss, develop, and provide feedback for this Implementation Plan. C. Criminal Justice and Court Data On example representing Louisiana s prosecution agencies is the 14 th Judicial District Attorney's Office serving the Parish of Calcasieu. There are seven law enforcement agencies reporting to this District Attorney's Office for the prosecution of cases. The 14 th JDA currently employ twenty-four prosecutors to handle all cases presented to them. Cases are disbursed to various Assistant District Attorneys within the agency to handle all cases. The need for this project exists to provide staff to handle domestic violence cases, enabling their office to have a centralized unit to handle all domestic violence cases referred to them within 15 P a g e
a Specialized Unit which will hold an experienced Prosecutor on these types of cases, assisted by an Investigator and clerical support. Due to large number of victims requesting services from this office for domestic violent offenses, the STOP funding has enabled them to provide better services. A total of 964 victims contacted the office for service from 06/01/2012 to 12/31/2012, and a total of 1,392 victims contacted the office for domestic violence services from 06/02/2011 through 03/31/2012. As of 12/31/2012, their data revealed that there have been 16,608 rejections (due mostly to victims signing a waiver or lack of participation of victims), 608 placements into violence intervention programs, 38 convictions and 28 non-convictions. Prior to initiation of this program, domestic violence cases were distributed to various Assistant District Attorneys throughout the office. As domestic violence cases increased in volume, caseloads became heavily burdened. With the increased number of domestic violence cases, it became apparent the office needed to provide a unit to focus solely on these types of cases. The program provides for improved case investigation, enhanced services to victims, improved conviction rates, and expedites cases through the judicial system. The court system in Louisiana is divided into four levels: 1) Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2) Courts of Appeal, 3) District Courts (general jurisdiction), and 4) Courts of limited jurisdiction. The District Court is the court of original felony jurisdiction. All felonious domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking cases originate in District Courts. These courts also have misdemeanor jurisdiction which is exercised when a defendant is charged with a state misdemeanor (a crime under state law which is not punishable at hard labor or death). Misdemeanor jurisdiction is shared with city and parish courts, whose geographic jurisdiction is always shared with a District Court. In various locations across the state most state misdemeanors are reflected in city or parish ordinance, so that for misdemeanants, the court of jurisdiction is often determined by the identity of the agency making the arrest. After the attendance of the National Center for State Courts National Leadership Summit on State Court Responses to Domestic Violence that was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, on 11/30/2010 and 12/01/2010, LCLE decided to use the Court allocation to partner with the Louisiana Supreme Court to initiate a multi-year plan to develop and implement a judicial education program on domestic abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The LCLE s and the Louisiana Supreme Court s goal of this new project is to develop an effective judicial education program. While making this educational program mandatory for all judges in the state is ideal, it is more likely that the project could succeed in having the program endorsed by the Louisiana Supreme Court and offered through the Judicial College. In the initial project, the first phase of a multi-year plan was to create a domestic violence curriculum for the judiciary in our state. The over-arching goal was to bring together national and local experts to identify specific training needs, then develop and implement a standardized curriculum that incorporates current knowledge in the field, relevant to Louisiana and federal laws and best practices designed to aid courts in protecting victims and holding offenders accountable. This project began 05/01/2011 and ended 04/30/2012. 16 P a g e
During second phase of this multi-year initiative, the project created and implemented a standardized domestic abuse and dating violence training curriculum for our state's judiciary. This specialized training project arose out of our state team's plan, developed jointly by the representatives from the LCLE and the Judicial Administrator's Office of the Louisiana Supreme Court. The over-arching goal of this project was to bring together national, state, and local experts to develop and implement a standardized curriculum that incorporated current knowledge in the field, relevant Louisiana and federal laws, and best practices designed to aid courts in protecting victims and holding offenders accountable. This project began 05/01/2012, and ended 04/30/2013. The curriculum was finalized and presented in part by national experts at several statewide Judicial College conferences. The third phase of this multi-year initiative began 05/01/2013, and will end 04/30/2014. During this phase, the plan calls for national experts to present the entire two-day judicial education curriculum for Louisiana at the January 2014 Judicial College conference and to follow with a two-day Train the Trainers conference in Baton Rouge in March 2014. Twenty prospective Louisiana faculty members have been identified and confirmed to attend both trainings in preparation for presenting the new curriculum across the state beginning in April 2014. The faculty includes attorneys, hearing officers, and judges. The project s Advisory Committee and the Judicial College will collaborate in identifying training opportunities for the newly trained faculty. The project during this grant cycle also includes the establishment of a web-based home for online judicial training modules that have been created by the curriculum s authors and are based on the Louisiana curriculum. The project would be coordinated by the Louisiana Protective Order Registry, a program of the Judicial Administrator s Office of the Louisiana Supreme Court, but would involve the participation of the LCADV and the LaFASA. The second program through the Louisiana Supreme Court is the Domestic Violence Network Program. The Louisiana Protective Order Registry (LPOR) is a statewide database of court orders issued to protect victims of domestic abuse, dating violence, and stalking. The registry, a program of the Judicial Administrator's Office of the Louisiana Supreme Court, serves as a vital tool and single point of contact for courts, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and others within the justice system working to ensure the enforcement of protection orders within and across jurisdictional lines. From the pilot phase of the program in 1997, through 09/30/2013, the registry received and entered 291,566 protection order records from courts across the state. The LPOR also responds to requests from authorized users, who need to verify the existence and terms of a specific protection order. These users include local, state, and federal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and members of the judiciary. In 2012, registry staff responded to 955 such calls. From 01/01/2013 through 09/30/2013, registry staff responded to 700 such calls. In addition to the primary mission of the program outlined above, a second and equally important part of the registry is training and technical assistance. Each year, the registry develops and delivers educational seminars about state and federal laws related to the issuance and enforcement of protection orders, use of the mandatory standardized order forms, and strategies for collaborating across agencies and jurisdictions to support the swift and effective enforcement of protection orders. In 2013, the registry provided seven 17 P a g e
presentations and/or workshops on LPOR, reaching an estimated 217 individuals, and eight (8) Legal Seminars, reaching 256 individuals, including judges, hearing officers, advocates, criminal justice system personnel, and other professionals working in the field of domestic abuse and sexual assault. LPOR receives regular requests from individuals and entities throughout the state to provide education and training. The demand for training from LPOR indicates the level of need for ongoing specialized training on the use of the Registry and its legislatively mandated legal order forms to protect victims of domestic and dating violence. Training workers new to the field and updating existing workers is essential to maintaining an accurate and functioning registry. The regular occurrence of legislative change to the laws and statutes that provide protection to victims of dating and domestic violence also fuels the need for recurring training opportunities so that all stakeholders remain engaged in the process, and that stakeholders' knowledge and skills regarding domestic violence legal recourse are current. As a result of the program's extensive training efforts, the registry's director, administrative staff, and consultants frequently receive requests for additional training from community and state agencies. These same training efforts also lead to numerous requests for information and technical assistance from judges, hearing officers and prosecutors, as well as those who assist victims of domestic abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The requests for specialized training seminars, court and agency training and/or strategizing visits, along with the individual, group, and agency requests for information and technical assistance have exceeded the ability of staff to respond in a timely and effective manner. Other collaborative projects requiring LPOR staff involvement also increase the need for additional assistance. Therefore, grant funds will be used to continue to contract with a consultant/trainer who will also function as a court/community liaison. The contractor assists the registry's director, administrative staff, and training team in meeting the demand for educational seminars, in responding to the variety of requests for information and technical assistance, as well as assisting with the Louisiana Supreme Court s Judicial Training project. The Louisiana Attorney General's Office continues with their Domestic Violence in the Workplace Initiative designed to educate employers statewide on how to respond to domestic violence in the workplace. Policy and procedure guidelines have been created for employers to follow in addressing domestic violence in the workplace. Trainings are designed to educate employers to understand why perpetrators commit these crimes, how to predict when the violence will escalate, and assist employers in designing security and human resource responses. Trainings also focus on preparing communities to respond to domestic violence from a security perspective and how to work with local law enforcement. The program also provides trainings each calendar year to approximately 1,650 individuals including law enforcement, faith-based community, social service personnel and employees. Participants are advocacy organization staff, educators, faith-based organization staff, government agency staff, law enforcement officers, mental health officials, social service organization staff, victim advocates, and prosecutors. Training content areas consist 18 P a g e
of advocate response, child witnesses, confidentiality, and dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking overview, dynamics, and services. As related to recommendations from the Governor s Office Task Force on Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Training, The Attorney General s Office has spearheaded and has been successful in creating Louisiana first POST (Peace Officers Standards & Training) certified law enforcement training initiative. This initiative is a two-day comprehensive course at no cost to local agencies facilitated by a three-person team of subject matter experts representing an advocate arm, law enforcement arm and a civil/criminal arm. To date, the Attorney General s training team has trained over three thousand local law enforcement officers on response to domestic violence and dating violence. In addition, the Attorney General s Office with the collaboration of the LCLE POST Council has created Louisiana s first on-line training initiative addressing first response to domestic and dating violence. The Attorney General s Office continues to collaborate with POST on developing additional courses for first responding officers including but not limited to trainings on interviewing child witnesses of domestic violence, elder abuse in later life, the Louisiana Protective Order Registry, human trafficking and law enforcement officers as offenders. The Louisiana Attorney General s Office has assisted the LCLE POST to use the same curriculum developed as a standardized and uniform training tool, in developing their academy training initiative relating to domestic and dating violence. The Louisiana Attorney General s Office continues to work closely with the Louisiana Protective Order Registry, Louisiana District Attorneys Association, the Louisiana Sheriffs Association, The Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police, the Tulane Domestic Violence Law Clinic, the Louisiana State University Domestic Law Clinic and various victim advocates to continue to provide the most up-to-date and successful trainings to the law enforcement community in response to domestic and dating violence. Moreover, the need to have comprehensive, structured and uniform training throughout the state on the issue of response to domestic violence, dating violence, and trafficking is paramount to move ahead in the struggle for proper victim identification and perpetrator accountability. These particular trainings provide that structure. In addition, the gap in training in Louisiana is highlighted by the fact that agencies are strapped with financial concerns and the ability to allow for officers and prosecutors to be out of the office, therefore stressing the need for free and on-going training opportunities regionally, which our training programs provide. 19 P a g e
IV. PLAN PRIORITIES AND APPROACHES A. Identified Goals Goal 1: Objective 1: Activity 1: Activity 2: Timeline: Goal 2: Objective 1: Activity 1: Timeline: Goal 3: Objective 1: Activity 1: Activity 2: Timeline: Goal 4: Objective 1: Objective 2: Objective 3: To streamline and coordinate the delivery of subgrant funding. Provide assistance in the use of the user-friendly web-based Egrants system made available to all agencies receiving subgrant awards from the STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program. Provide one-on-one technical assistance when requested. Provide access to trainings to various committees, advisory groups, coalitions, or any participating agency requesting training. Projects are normally funded on a 12-month basis. Beginning with the FY 2013 award, all project periods were adjusted to end December 31, 2014. This will allow our subrecipients progress reports to coincide with the OVW Annual Progress Report s.timeline. Therefore, all projects that would receive FY 2014 funds will be funded on a 12-month basis. To improve collaboration and coordination of services provided by the criminal justice system; improve the delivery of services to victims; increase officer understanding of and compliance with state and local laws statewide and departmental policies and procedures related to the enforcement of domestic violence laws and protection orders. Provide individualized technical assistance to criminal justice agencies to locate and acquire needed trainings. Law enforcement, prosecution, and court applicant agencies are required to consult with victim service programs during the course of developing their STOP program application. Projects are funded on a 12-month basis, which all funds will be expended prior to the end of each Federal award. To improve and enhance cultural competency in the delivery of victim services to underserved and culturally-specific areas in the state. STOP program funds will be used to support victim service providers and criminal justice agencies to identify and address the needs of communities of color, the underserved and culturally specific populations. Provide trainings on the DOJ Cultural Competency Standards. Represent the STOP Program at Coalition and District meetings. Projects are funded on a 12-month basis, which all funds will be expended prior to the end of each Federal award. To continue with the planning process of the STOP Implementation Plan. Schedule meetings with Program Managers of criminal justice programs (law enforcement, prosecution, and court agencies). Schedule meetings with the Directors of the battered women shelters and the sexual assault centers. Schedule meetings with American Indian Tribes. 20 P a g e
Objective 4: Schedule meetings with culturally-specific groups or their representative. Objective 5: Schedule meetings with underserved groups or their representative. Objective 6: Schedule meetings with the Victim Services Advisory Board members. Objective 7: Schedule meetings with the state Coalitions. Objective 8: Schedule meetings with District Directors. Objective 9: Schedule meetings with any participating agency or group requesting representation. Objective 10: Continue to meet with Program Managers of the LA DCFS. Activity 1: Allow STOP recipients from all agencies representing all disciplines to have an opportunity to discuss their concerns and/or issues impacting their areas of expertise and the populations they represent directly with the LCLE STOP Program Manager. Activity 2: Include the LCLE VOCA Program Manager. Activity 3: Meet with all who request to participate in the planning of the STOP Implementation Plan as committees, advisory groups, at coalition meetings and district meetings. Activity 4: Document and collate all information received to be used for the continued development of the STOP Implementation Plan. Timeline: At least four meetings (in person or conference calls) or more, if needed, will be held each year. Goal 5: Objective 1: Objective 2: Objective 3: Activity 1: Timeline: Goal 6: Objective 1: Objective 2: Objective 3: Activity 1: To reduce domestic violence-related homicides within the state. Provide improved safety net for victims. Increase number of satellite offices to provide better access to victims in the rural parishes. Develop draft legislation concerning abusers access to firearms. Seek ways to secure state-level legislation to prohibit domestic violence offenders from possessing weapons. At least two in-person meetings with coalitions and district directors will be held each year. Ensure that all first responders utilize a jurisdiction-specific risk assessment tool when responding to domestic violence and sexual assault incidents and follow all corresponding protocols. All law enforcement agencies will utilize risk assessments for domestic violence incidents and respond accordingly. All advocates will utilize risk assessments for domestic violence and sexual violence survivors and respond accordingly. All subgrantees will have trained Coordinated Community Response Teams on the use of the jurisdiction-specific risk assessment tool and corresponding protocols. The STOP Program Manager will obtain and make the jurisdiction-specific risk assessment tool available to all STOP-funded subrecipients. 21 P a g e
Activity 2: Timeline: Provide Louisiana P.O.S.T. certified training information to first responders and others in criminal justice agencies designed to respond appropriately when responding to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Make the risk assessment tool available to subrecipients within the first six months of the federal award period and provide all training schedules to subrecipients as the schedules become available. B. Priority Areas 1. Use of STOP Funds Funding priority will be given to law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and victim service providers whose services strive to reduce violence by developing and strengthening effective law enforcement and prosecution strategies created to combat crimes committed against women. Law enforcement and prosecution applicant agencies apply for funding through one of the eight Local Law Enforcement Planning Districts or Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils. Non-profit, non-governmental agencies apply through their respective coalitions, the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault. Statewide programs apply directly to the LCLE. All recipients awarded with STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program funds must address at least one or more of the twenty purpose areas required under the Violence Against Women Act. Applicant agencies are required to specify which purpose area or areas their projects address. No single purpose is given priority by the Board or the Commission; each project is evaluated on its own merit. 2. Types of Programs and Projects Eligible agencies or organizations include, but not limited to: State Offices and Agencies Public or Private Non-Profit Organizations Non-Profit, Non-Governmental Victim Services Programs Faith-Based and Community Organizations Courts Units of Local Government (Units of local government mean any city, county, town, township, borough, parish, village or other general-purpose political subdivision of a state. For the, Sheriffs and District Attorneys are considered units of local government.) Indian Tribal Governments (Native American Tribes that perform law enforcement functions as determined by the Secretary of the Interior). 22 P a g e
Examples of programs and projects by discipline: DISCIPLINE Administrative Funds Court Courts Culturally Specific Culturally Specific Discretionary Discretionary Discretionary Law Enforcement Law Enforcement Law Enforcement Law Enforcement Law Enforcement Law Enforcement Law Enforcement Law Enforcement Law Enforcement Law Enforcement Prosecution Prosecution Prosecution Prosecution Prosecution Prosecution Prosecution Prosecution Prosecution Prosecution Victim Services Victim Services Victim Services Victim Services Victim Services Victim Services Victim Services Victim Services Victim Services PROJECT TITLE Administrative Funds Training for Judicial Domestic Violence Network Native American Domestic Violence Program Immigration Assistance Program Domestic Violence Prosecutor Training Program Domestic Violence Training Program Human Trafficking Training Program Combination Investigation Domestic Violence Investigation Domestic Violence Network Domestic Violence Program Domestic Violence Unit Law Enforcement Policy Development Sexual Assault Investigation Sexual Assault Program Stalking Program Violence Tracking Combination Prosecution Domestic Violence Program Domestic Violence Prosecution Domestic Violence Unit Sexual Assault Network Sexual Assault Program Sexual Assault Prosecution Stalking Program Vertical Prosecution Violence Tracking Domestic Violence Counseling Domestic Violence Legal Assistance Domestic Violence Outreach Domestic Violence Program Domestic Violence Program Shelter Adults Domestic Violence Services Rape Counseling Sexual Assault Counseling Program Adults Sexual Assault Counselor 23 P a g e
DISCIPLINE Victim Services Victim Services Victim Services PROJECT TITLE Sexual Assault Outreach Sexual Assault Program Sexual Assault Services 3. Distribution of STOP Funds The LCLE distributes STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program funds to new and continuation projects focused on one or more of the twenty STOP program purpose areas. These projects are designed to develop and strengthen effective law enforcement and prosecution strategies in collaboration with victim services agencies to combat violent crimes against women. The method of distribution provides an equitable distribution of STOP funds allowing for the placement of funds to meet victims needs on a local or regional basis. The total award amount will be allocated on the following basis: The Louisiana STOP award will be allocated as follows: At least 7% for Courts; of this amount up to 10% will be used for administration At least 30% for Law Enforcement; of this amount up to 10% will be used for administration At least 30% for Prosecution; of this amount up to 10% will be used for administration At least 30% for Victim Services; of this amount up to 10% will be used for administration Of which 50% will be allocated to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking projects through the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence Of which 40% will be allocated to Sexual Assault Victim Services projects through the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault Coalition Of which 10% will be allocated to Culturally-Specific Victim Services projects At least 3% will be allocated to projects at LCLE s discretion; of this amount up to 10% will be used for administration 4. Supporting Documentation Documentation in the form of letters and attachments has been received from prosecution, law enforcement, court, and victim services programs to be assisted. Each has described the need for the grant funds, the intended use of the grant funds, the expected result of the grant funds, and the demographic characteristics of the populations to be served including age, disability, race, ethnicity, and language background. This documentation will be included with this Implementation Plan. 24 P a g e
5. Sexual Assault Set-A-Side The does not provide state or local funding designated for direct services to sexual assault victims. However, the LCLE awards federal monies to the sexual assault centers from the Office on Violence Against Women, STOP Formula Grant Program and the Sexual Assault Services Program, and the Office for Victims of Crime, Crime Victim Assistance Formula Grant Program. The sexual assault centers are also familiar with additional services to victims of crime provided through the LCLE, such as the CVR program and the LAVNS system. The LCLE coordinates with each Center requesting the name and contact information of the individual charged with the responsibility of assisting victims in regard to accessing and using the LAVNS system as well as responsible for assisting victims in applying for services available through the CVR Program. Awards available directly to sexual assault victims through the Office for Victims of Crime, CVR helps innocent victims and their families when they have no other means of paying for the financial cost of crime outside the services provided by the sexual assault centers. The fund is administered by the Crime Victims Reparations Board under the jurisdiction of the LCLE. The LAVNS is an on-line resource that allows victims to search for information regarding an offender's current custody and case status. Victims may also register to be notified automatically when an offender is released, transferred, or escapes from a Parish facility or has a change in case status. The LAVNS service is provided to victims in an effort to help keep them safe and informed; however, victims are also advised to not depend solely on LAVNS for their protection. Victims are also advised if they feel they may be at risk, to take precautions as if the offender has already been released, which is encouraged to be part of a victim s safety plan. Louisiana is currently meeting the newly implemented STOP twenty percent sexual assault set-aside requirement in accordance with the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 though the victims services provided by STOP-funded victim service providers, law enforcement, and prosecution agencies. In a review of the FY 2011 and FY 2012 STOP funds issued to the subrecipient agencies, each recipient agency reported to LCLE the percentages of their awards that are devoted to the crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The percentages they provided were calculated according to the total amount of each of their awards compared to the total amount of the federal award allocated to Louisiana. The results of the FY 2011 STOP funding show that a total of sixty-five percent was devoted to serve victims of domestic violence and dating violence, twenty-two percent was devoted to serve victims of sexual assault, three percent devoted to serve victims of stalking, and ten percent was devoted to administrative costs. Of the twenty-two percent of the FY 2011 funding devoted to the provision of sexual assault services, eleven percent was provided by sexual assault centers, eight percent was provided by law enforcement agencies, and three percent was provided by prosecution agencies. 25 P a g e
The results of the FY 2012 STOP funding show that a total of sixty-seven percent was devoted to serve victims of domestic violence and dating violence, twenty percent was devoted to serve victims of sexual assault, three percent devoted to serve victims of stalking, and ten percent was devoted to administrative costs. Of the twenty percent of the FY 2012 funding devoted to the provision of sexual assault services, ten percent was provided by sexual assault centers, eight percent provided by law enforcement agencies, and two percent provided by prosecution agencies. 6. Subgrant Listing A current listing of all subgrant recipients will be submitted as an attachment. The spreadsheet will include subgrant numbers, award dates, award amounts by allocation category, agency names including project title and contact information, subgrant periods (start and end dates), and the agency labeled as the culturally specific community agency receiving a victim services subgrant will be clearly indicated. C. Grant-Making Strategy 1. Parishes Currently Underserved Victim service providers under the jurisdiction of their respective coalitions are highly encouraged to use the STOP funds to develop and improve their domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking programs. Victim services programs are required to have policies of non-discrimination, sensitivity to people of all cultures, interagency cooperation, confidentiality, fiscal responsibility, policy in place that ensures no victim will be denied services due to an inability to pay, and victims will not be denied services because they have not reported the crime to law enforcement. The agency or organization must also demonstrate a sound structure, an effective program design, and a primary purpose to provide services to victims of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, or operates a program with one of these types of crimes committed against women as its primary purpose. These programs assist battered and/or sexually assaulted women by providing counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, care management, job placement, and shelter. Other critical care needs and support services are provided by the judicial system, public and other private victim service agencies through collaborative efforts to better assist victims with needed services for developing independence and self-sufficiency. There are seventeen battered women s programs in various regions located throughout the state. Their main facilities are located in Arabi, Baton Rouge, DeRidder, Franklin, Hammond, Houma, Jefferson, Jennings, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Mandeville, Many, Monroe, New Iberia, New Orleans, Ruston, and Shreveport. These programs are working diligently to provide safe housing and needed services to domestic and dating violence victims throughout the entire state. 26 P a g e
Currently there are no permanent physical points of access to domestic violence services in all sixty-four parishes. This is needed to ensure access to services after leaving their abusers. During this time, victims receive a wide range of services, such as crisis counseling, case management, individual and family assistance, assistance with job placements, and completing petition and supplemental paperwork for Temporary Restraining Orders and Protective Orders. Advocates and volunteers are utilized to accompany victims to the Clerk of Court's Office and/or to assist them in filing a petition for the Court s protection, as well as assisting in all other matters resulting from services provided. More than 90,000 shelter nights and 33,000 crisis calls were handled within the last year. To adequately assist women and their children seeking services, the programs need to provide access to services in all sixty-four parishes. LOUISIANA COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 1. Oasis A Safe Haven 2. Iris Domestic Violence Center (CAFVIC) 3. New Orleans Family Justice Center 4. Chez Hope Family Violence Crisis Center 5. Jefferson Davis (CADA) 6. Domestic Abuse Resistance Team (DART) 7. Faith House 8. The Haven 9. June N. Jenkins Women s Shelter 10. Metropolitan Center for Women and Children 11. Providence House Domestic Violence and Safe House Program 12. Safe Harbor 13. Safety Net for Abused Persons (SNAP) 14. St. Bernard Battered Women s Program 15. SAFE Program 16. Taylor House, Sabine Shelter, Project Celebration 17. The Wellspring Alliance for Families 27 P a g e
At present, there are twelve sexual assault centers, also known as rape crisis centers, in thirteen locations throughout the state, namely, in Amite, Baton Rouge, Bogalusa, Houma, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Many, Monroe, New Orleans, Opelousas, Ruston, and Shreveport. These Centers diligently work to provide direct intervention and critically related assistance to women who are victims of sexual assault. Six of the Sexual Assault Centers are dual programs providing services to both sexual assault and domestic violence victims. The dual Centers are located in Houma, Jefferson, Lake Charles, Many, Monroe, New Orleans, and Shreveport. Some Sexual Assault Centers have satellite or branch offices, in addition to their main office, which are staffed on a full-time basis, in an effort to ensure sexual assault victims, are served in those parishes in which there is no sexual assault center. 28 P a g e
2. Allocation Strategy Based on the information provided in B.3 of this Plan, a portion of the administrative funds will be budgeted from each allocated disciplinary area listed and used to support a full-time program manager in administering and implementing the STOP Formula Grant Program, review all quarterly and annual reports received from subgrantees, conduct onsite monitoring visits, and attend required OVW trainings. STOP funds are allocated to non-profit, non-governmental organizations that provide victim services to women who have become victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking crimes. These organizations include rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, faith-based and other community organizations with a documented history of effective work providing services tailored to meet the needs of these victims. Victim services allocations are managed by the STOP Program Manager in the LCLE office and are regarded as District 8 or State-Level projects. The LCLE STOP Program Manager is responsible for advising all victim services programs of the twenty STOP statutory program purposes, funding eligibility guidelines, the OVW Grants Financial Management Division, and other pertinent State and Federal guidelines regarding crimes against women as outlined in the OVW STOP Formula Grant Program, and providing technical assistance as needed. LCLE collaborates with the Coalition Executive Directors of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (LCADV) and the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault (LaFASA) when determining allocation decisions for the victim services agencies in their memberships. The LCADV has a membership of seventeen domestic violence shelter programs and battered women s programs; LaFASA has a membership of thirteen sexual assault centers in fourteen locations. The Coalition Executive Directors provide LCLE with their member programs needs based on: 1. How each program will address the STOP purpose areas and other OVW requirements; 2. The general population demographics the be served; 3. The victim services to be provided; 4. Other funding and resources available to the programs; 5. The financial and programmatic administration integrity of each agency; and 6. A subjective evaluation of each member agency s situation. Victim services agencies that belong to the Coalition membership are highly encouraged to use STOP funds to develop and improve their domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking programs. These programs assist battered women by providing counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, care management, job placement, and shelter. They also provide other critical care needs, support services, and advocacy to victims navigating through the judicial system. Some agencies collaborate with other public and private victim service agencies in their communities to better assist victims 29 P a g e
with specialized services needed to assist the victims served develop independence and self-sufficiency. 3. Distribution Strategy Once the State has been awarded STOP funding from OVW, funds are passed through to the eight Law Enforcement Planning Districts/Councils listed below. Each district office is notified of their allocation, which is based on the population and crime statistics within their respective districts. These districts must distribute their allocations equally between law enforcement and prosecution agencies using a 50/50 split according to the formulas in the table below. The district map portrays the parishes for which each District is responsible for allocating the law enforcement and prosecution funding. Law Enforcement Planning Districts/Councils District 1 Northwest Law Enforcement Planning District 11.07% District 2 North Delta Law Enforcement Planning District 10.77% District 3 Red River Delta Law Enforcement Planning District 9.74% District 4 Evangeline Law Enforcement Planning Council 10.66% District 5 Capital District Law Enforcement Planning District 15.95% District 6 Southwest District Law Enforcement Planning Council 10.44% District 7 Metropolitan/Jefferson Criminal Justice Coordinating Council 15.48% District 9 Orleans Office of Criminal Justice Coordination Council 15.89% NOTE: The formula was revised upon release of the 2010 U.S. Census Report. 30 P a g e
Ninety percent of the victim services allocation is distributed to non-profit, nongovernmental victim services agencies through the state s two coalitions the LCADV and the LaFASA. The LCLE STOP Program Manager allocates the remaining ten percent of the victim services allocation designated to fund a culturally-specific project to an eligible culturally-specific non-profit, non-governmental victim services agency or a tribal government agency. In addition, STOP funds designated for statewide discretionary projects (three percent) and local courts (seven percent) are distributed and managed by the LCLE STOP Program Manager. 4. Request for Proposals Units of local government (law enforcement and prosecution agencies) are advised by Law Enforcement Planning District/Council staff of the availability of grant funding and guidelines for funding through public advertising of funding available. The Coalitions notify their member victim services organizations of the availability of grant funding and guidelines. Notices and announcements are run in local and regional newspapers statewide to announce the availability of the STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program funds each funding year. Potential applicant agencies are provided with appropriate information on requesting and applying for the funds, meeting dates and times. The District Program Directors help local agencies in their districts prepare documentation to be submitted to the LCLE STOP Program Manager via the website grants management system, called Egrants. The STOP Program Manager, along with the Fiscal Staff person and Section Supervisor, reviews the applications before presenting them to the Victim Services Advisory Board and the Commission. The Commission either approves or denies the application. Requests for Allocation and Program Plan Worksheet forms are available from District Program Directors, Coalition Directors, as well as the LCLE STOP Program Manager. The application instructions can be downloaded from LCLE at www.lcle.la.gov. Potential applicant agencies must submit a Program Plan Worksheet to the District Program Manager. The Program Plan Worksheet determines if the project conforms to the twenty STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program statutory purpose areas. The Law Enforcement Planning Districts/Law Enforcement Planning Councils, the LCLE s Priorities Committee, and the Victim Services Advisory Board review all potential requests and make their respective recommendations to the LCLE Commission. The Commission retains final approval or denial of the allocations and program plans before a full application can be submitted for final approval. The allocations can be approved or disapproved at any point in the process. After the Request for Allocation is approved by the Commission, the applicant agency s application is prepared and is submitted on the web-based grants management system to LCLE. LCLE staff assesses the documented needs and conformity to STOP 31 P a g e
requirements. The STOP Program Manager, Fiscal Staff, and/or Section Supervisor will advise via the Egrants system to the applicant if issues need to be addressed and/or resolved. The LCLE staff can place special conditions upon the application that the applicant agency must adhere to. The application is submitted to the LCLE Priorities Committee for review. The application can be approved, denied, or tabled by the Priorities Committee. The Priorities Committee can place special conditions upon the application that the applicant agency must adhere to. If the application meets the requirements as assessed by LCLE staff and receives the Priorities Committee s recommendation for approval or denial, it is submitted to the Victim Services Advisory Board for review and recommendation for approval or denial to the Commission. All applicants who have a new application, regardless of the amount of funding, must be present at both the Victim Services Advisory Board meeting and the LCLE Commission meeting. Applicants who have a continuation application requesting funding to continue an existing project, and/or requesting an increase of funding to an existing project, regardless of the amount of funding, is required to attend only the Victim Services Advisory Board meeting. Potential applicants should be knowledgeable about the proposed project and be able to answer any questions that may arise. An application can be deferred, tabled, or denied if there is no representative of the applicant agency present at these meetings. The Victim Services Advisory Board and the Commission can place special conditions upon the application that the applicant agency must adhere to. If approved by the Commission, LCLE staff then issues the Award Letter. The Subgrant Award packet is forwarded directly to the applicant agency for acceptance with the respective districts copied. 5. STOP Grant Cycle The staffs at the District or Council offices and LCLE provide direct assistance to the subgrant agencies and work diligently to ensure that these agencies utilize the funds to meet intended goals and objectives, maintain statistics and fiscal records have a full understanding of reporting requirements, and submit the required reports to LCLE as scheduled. LCLE requires that all applicant agencies receiving Federal funds through the STOP program must comply with the applicable provisions of the STOP Program Federal Register Final Rule, OVW Grants Financial Management Division (GFMD), the Louisiana State Travel Guidelines, the Advisory Board Guidelines, and the LCLE Program Guidelines. Programs use the funds for any of the twenty named purpose areas listed in the STOP Application Instructions. Reporting requirements include maintaining appropriate programmatic and financial records that fully disclose the amount and disposition of STOP funds received by the applicant agency to ensure proper management, fiscal control and efficient disbursement of the STOP funds. Written procedures regarding the reporting requirements of a project are provided in the STOP Application Instructions. The procedures inform the applicant 32 P a g e
of specific reporting requirements before and after receiving a subgrant award and those requirements are to be followed during the project period. 6. Subgrant Project Period Projects are normally funded on a twelve-month basis. Beginning with the FY 2013 award, all project periods were adjusted to end on December 31, 2014. This will allow our subrecipients progress report to coincide with the OVW Annual Progress Reports timeline. Therefore, all projects that would receive FY 2014 funds will be funded on a twelve-month basis (i.e., January 1 through December 31) each year. 7. Collaboration and Coordination All subgrant recipients submit documentation within their applications verifying they have or will consult with tribal, state, or local victim service programs during the course of developing their grant applications in order to ensure that proposed services, activities, and equipment acquisitions were designed to promote the safety, confidentiality, and economic independence of victims of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking when applicable. Each applicant agency also provides Memorandums of Understanding, Cooperative Agreements, contracts, and numerous letters of support from various agencies in their service areas, as applicable to their individual proposed program. 33 P a g e